UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, has accused Israeli authorities of subjecting Palestinian doctor Adnan Al-Bursh to sexual abuse that led to his death while in detention. Albanese made the allegations in a post on her X account on Monday.
In the past Albanese has branded Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide.” This followed an IDF strike targeting a Hamas command center located inside a mosque.
Describing Dr. Al-Bursh as "a doctor, a stellar surgeon, the embodiment of Palestinian ethics," Albanese alleged, "Likely raped to death."
She also criticized Western media and politicians for their silence on the incident. "The racism of Western media who are not covering this, and Western politicians who are not denouncing this... is absolutely sickening," Albanese wrote, referencing broader allegations of torture and abuse of Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Al-Bursh, a senior orthopedic surgeon and head of orthopedics at Al-Shifa Hospital, died in May after over four months of detention in the Sde Teiman facility and Ofer Prison, according to Reuters. He had been detained by the IDF while working temporarily at Al-Awada Hospital in northern Gaza.
* The Jerusalem Post contributed to this article.
